Finally

Well, this is more like it. Winter seems to have arrived at last - we're having one of those brilliantly sunny, absolutely freezing days today. We got about 6-8 inches of snow between Sunday and Monday, and today we're being blasted by an icy Arctic gale. The thermometer says it's -16°C out, but with the wind chill it feels more like -30°C.

I warned our newly-arrived Vietnamese trainees yesterday about the impending freeze - they'll have never experienced temperatures like these in their lives. I made sure they went out and bought warm clothing last week - one of them arrived to spend a winter in Canada with nothing heavier than a leather jacket.

As often seems to happen on the coldest days, the bus I usually take to work never showed up this morning (and obviously it was just too cold for me to walk). I stood outside in a partial shelter for half an hour before the next bus came along. My feet were like ice, even encased in big boots and an extra pair of socks.